Sensations
by TrueLove67
Summary: Haley confesses her love for Lucas before she leaves. Short one shot. AU. Laley !


_**Hey guys, I found this half started from years ago and decided to finish it. As much as I love Nathan and Haley together, Lucas and Haley will always be my first love ! Short and sweet, please read and review..feedback means the world! I own nothing! x0Laura**_

They sat together in the sand, a thin fleece blanket stretched underneath them. The night sky was illuminated by millions of shining stars, each of them casting their own sparkle onto the ocean below. The moon sat in the distance seemingly floating above the water. The waves lapped at the shore, creating a calming lullaby. The fire burned brightly behind them, the golden embers drifting into the still air. The warmth from the flames embraced them both providing extra comfort and securing the night as absolutely perfect. They've had many similar nights, the two of them, a few drinks, this old blanket and a bon fire on the beach. Good conversation always emerged, laughter was constant and they each made the short walk back home feeling just a little happier with the world than when they first arrived. This night was special though, this was their last.

'Do you ever just wonder why we do any of it? Like what's the point of school and work when there's always going to be an end?' Haley pondered aloud, digging her feet further into the cool sand, feeling the brittle grains between her toes.

'Well this conversation escalated quickly.. A pretty existential subject for a bon fire, no?' Lucas quipped, slightly surprised by the question. He was all for the long deep conversations where you search for the meaning of life and theorize about Earths great mysteries. He was usually just the one to begin them and then face a round of eye rolls and groans from the rest of the group. Haley was always more tolerable of his need for answers though.

'You mean the great Lucas Scott doesn't have some grand literary advice?' Haley feigned shock. 'It's not supposed to sound so dramatic, it's just.. I wonder sometimes. How different things could be just based off of our decisions. I mean we can literally do anything in the world. And yet there's this vague concept of fear that seems to limit us'

Lucas was silent for a moment, thinking of her words. Conversations like this could go on forever, because there was never going to be one solid definitive answer. There was always going to be another interpretation, or another theory. That was the beauty of life. And it was also completely maddening.

'I think the reason why we do it all is to change the world in some small way, to leave our footprints. Cause if we don't do anything, it would be like we never existed. There's no greater tragedy than that' He answered, as genuinely as he could. 'As for fear.. it's nothing more than a mindset. You're only as strong as what you choose to overcome'

Haley smiled, enjoying his answer. She leaned back on her elbows, matching his position. The silence stretched between them for another moment, each enjoying the view, engrossed by their own thoughts.

'I'm proud of you, you know' Lucas stated, his voice only above a whisper. 'I'm proud of you for having the courage to leave, to follow what you've always talked about doing' He couldn't imagine a world without her yet, but he also couldn't imagine Haley not seeing the world. Ever since they were young kids, that had always been her passion. She would get so excited to go on trips, the smile wouldn't leave her face for days even when they were only going a state away. Now she was going to London, half way across the country, and the excitement absolutely radiated from her.

Haley could feel her eyes begin to water, the heat rushing to her face. It all seemed so surreal still. She always had dreams of traveling, visiting as many different states and countries as she could. The world was too big to stay in one place, she firmly believed that. But leaving home, leaving him, seemed impossible at times. She willed the tears away though, intent on not crying tonight. They had already had their long drawn out goodbye, complete with rivers of tears and piles of tissues. They exchanged heartfelt words and made promises to never lose touch. Tonight was about ending things on a happy note though, about ending with tradition.

'Thanks, Lucas' She smiled, her eyes catching his for the first time that night. He cupped her face, drawing her in and leaving a sweet kiss against her forehead before releasing her again. Lucas laid flat on the blanket, his hands interlocking behind his head as he starred up at the sky.

'Just remember I want souvenirs' Lucas joked, and their laughter filled the air. Silence followed again, each enjoying the company of the other.

Haley's slender fingers traveled along his hand, moving to his wrist then back down to his fingertips. Lucas could get lost in the sensation it created and allowed his eyes to drift close for a moment. He loved the tingles her touch provoked.

'Lucas, you know when you're in the game, and your running down the court, ball in your hand and the clock is running out but you know you're so close and your feet leave the ground and that ball goes through the hoop and your whole body just feels like you're on fire from excitement?' She described a scenario that he spoke of countless times before. From when he first found his love for basketball all those years ago to the last game he played in.

'Yeah' Lucas answered simply, knowing the exact feeling she was talking about. He lived for it, thrived for it. The lights on the court, the roar of the crowd, the feeling of invincibility from scoring a shot, the absolute rush of power when it was the game winning point, he could never get enough of it. And he never wanted to be without it.

'When you look up in the crowd, who do you look for first?' Her fingers trailed over his hand again and she could feel her stomach getting tighter. It was like when you're ascending the first big drop of a roller coaster, your nerves are heightened but the excitement overpowers them.

A particular name didn't come to mind immediately, things move so quickly during those moments, it's like being in a dream and you have to decipher what's real. Sometimes the thrill is so much that everyone just seems to blur together and by the time you can make sense of the moment again, people are standing in front of you.

'I..' He began to answer, but Haley continued without pause.

'Cause when I think of traveling, every scene is so different. Every place, every scenario, everything I'm doing, none of it is ever the same. Except for you. You are always with me, Lucas. You are by my side in every adventure I can imagine going on' Her eyes were locked on his now opened ones and she surprisingly wasn't scared anymore, the words were flowing out so much easier than she thought they would. Maybe because it was the truth. Or maybe because it was just time for them to be said aloud.

He smiled, delighted for the confirmation that her passion for the unknown wouldn't dissuade their connection. No matter how many times it was reassured, it could never be enough.

'That's..' He began, but was again he was cut off by her voice.

'And I used to think it was because you're my best friend, we've been in almost every scene of each other's life for so long, it's only natural for me to imagine you in my future' She stilled her movements on his hand now, instead allowing hers to rest on top of his.

'But, you know how a lot of the time when people are thinking of new cities and starting over, they always imagine meeting some special person? Someone to start over with, someone to share in all of the excitement?' Haley asked and Lucas nodded, pulling himself up on his elbow so he could face her better, but never breaking the contact with their hands.

'I started to realize that I never thought of these great love stories that could emerge from traveling. The girl goes to London and gets swept off her feet by a handsome stranger and falls madly in love..I never even gave possibilities like that a second thought..'

Lucas squeezed her hand now, determined to make her see that she, more than anyone, deserved to find someone to make her as happy as she tries to make others.

'But you should Haley, you des..' For what seemed like the millionth time that night, he was interrupted by Haleys' voice.

'..It's because in every adventure I picture I've already been swept off my feet. I've had my great love at the start of every scene, he was always besides me'

'He was always you, Lucas'

Her eyes traveled from their clasped hands, up to his beautiful blue eyes. She kept her gaze locked on his, not allowing herself to pull away. She watched his face change from listening intently, to going over what she was saying, to becoming confused by her words. She smiled lightly, his emotions playing out like a story.

'Haley..' Lucas started but stopped before he could even be interrupted. What was she saying? He could hear her words but couldn't make sense of them yet. It was like a word jumble, he had all the letters but he couldn't configure the sentence.

'Your right, fear is just a mindset. I shouldn't just shrug off these feelings out of the fear of messing up this friendship. But, Lucas, we've been inseparable since we were 5 and I think were built to survive anything' She spoke quickly.

'I don't even know when it really happened.. but somewhere along the lines I fell so madly in love with you that I feel like I can't breathe without you' Her voice was raspy and her body was tingling all over. This was it. She descended the drop on the roller coaster and everything was rushing past her now. The words were out. She finally did it.

'And I couldn't leave without at least telling you' Her hand left his, only to brush her thumb over his cheek. She let it linger there for a moment, relishing in the warmth of his skin. Her hand dropped back to the blanket between them and she instantly missed his heat. The silence stretched for what seemed like hours, the waves growing increasingly louder.

Lucas could feel himself standing up from the blanket, taking steps closer to the shore. He couldn't stop it though, he wasn't in control of his movements.

'I .. I don't really understand where this is all coming from' He shook his head, his hands burrowing deeply into his pockets while he looked back at her.

'It's coming from years of sitting next to you in class and watching you play basketball and watching you smile and from dancing in the rain with you, it's coming from a lifetime of moments that we've shared' Haley rushed out, there was no stopping it now. She stood up, following his steps and coming to a halt in front of him.

Her hands were animated and moved quickly through the air. 'Only now there's been this realization that I don't want to sit next to you, I want to lay with you. I don't want to watch you smile, I want to be the reason you smile. I don't want to only laugh in the rain with you, Lucas, I want to kiss you until were both breathless..' She finished, the smile stretching across her face that she couldn't contain even if she tried. It was so incredibly uplifting to hear the words aloud instead of in her head.

'So you're in love with me..' Lucas trailed off warily, still expecting her to bust out laughing at any moment and proclaim it was just a joke.

Haley shrugged sheepishly 'I think I always have been, more than that, I think I always will be' She offered, the smile still adorning her perfectly smooth lips.

Lucas nodded, his stare on her becoming more intent. 'So your just gonna tell me you love me and then leave?' He questioned, making sure he had the facts right.

'Come with me' Haley offered, logically knowing that he couldn't but feeling like anything might be possible in this moment.

'No' Lucas bit out almost as quickly as she suggested it. He had responsibilities here, his life was here. Haley's passion was always to leave, to travel every part of the world. And while he admitted that sounded absolutely fascinating, his passion was here. It was in this small town that he seemingly built a kingdom from when he started with nothing.

'Lucas..' Haley started but this time it was Lucas who interrupted.

'You don't get to just change everything Haley. You don't get to turn everything upside down and then throw your hands up. You're leaving. You should have said something sooner' Lucas all but screamed. His confusion overshadowed by frustration now. They were together almost every single day, yet she picks the day before moving across the globe to proclaim some underlying feelings?

'Okay' Her voice was smaller than before and she dropped her hands, alarmed by his tone. There were a million scenarios that she played out over the years for this moment, and unfortunately this didn't seem to be unfolding as the happily ever after one.

'Okay?! You're unbelievable' Lucas laughed bitterly, turning around and taking a few steps away from her again. The beach was so big, so expansive, but in that moment it felt like he was standing on a small island being threatened by the waves.

Haley trailed behind him, refusing for it to end like this. If the feelings weren't mutual than that was okay, she knew the risk. But she wasn't going to let things become awkward, she wasn't going to be responsible for ruining the only relationship that truly mattered.

'Look Lucas, the last few weeks I almost told you a million times. Every single time I caught your gaze or watched you dribble that stupid ball, every single time I felt your hand on my shoulder I almost screamed the words' She spoke the words to his back. 'But it's not that simple. I would think maybe it wasn't fair to you, it wasn't fair for me to force you into a choice of friendship or something more..' She trailed off, losing her confidence a bit.

Lucas turned on his heel, facing her. 'There was never a choice Haley'

Her words seemed so crazy to him, so out of left field. How could she have these feelings for him? They were best friends, that's all they had ever been. They were good at being friends, great at it. But as crazy as it seemed, he couldn't deny the rush of fluttering in his stomach. The sensation that the more she spoke, the more his body was on fire the way it was during a game. As crazy as it seemed, it didn't seem crazy at all. It seemed like it made sense.

'I never had a chance not to love you' He stepped towards her while he spoke.

'So you love me too?' Haley laughed at how eager her words sounded, she could feel the heat blazing on her cheeks with each step he took closer to her. The feeling in her stomach was indescribable, there were no words for it even if she tried.

'I think I always have, more than that, I think I always will' Lucas answered swiftly, grabbing her face between his hands and crashing his lips upon hers. The kiss was gentle but feverish, exciting but calming all at the same time. It was if they had done it a thousand times before. Their lips moved in synch with one another, the way their bodies had done for years before. They smiled against each other, breathless, as the raindrops began to fall.

 _ **What did you guys think? x0Laura**_


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